Berlin Stories

Heiner Müller is regarded as one of the most important German dramatists of the 20th century – from his expulsion from the GDR Writers’ Association to becoming an internationally celebrated and awarded theatre-maker.

In January 1960, the East Berlin city administration began the demolition of the Waisenbrücke Bridge, and by June 1961, the bridge’s foundations had been removed. The historic construction, which had been visible from Fischerinsel and Mühlendamm, a river crossing that had connected the opposite banks of the Spree for centuries, was gone. One of the city’s central lifelines has been severed ever since.

24th September 2021 marked the one hundredth anniversary of the opening of the “Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungsstraße” (AVUS) [Automobile traffic and training road]. Races at the AVUS were one of Berlin’s most popular sporting events and at their peak drew in over 300,000 people.

This exclusive online photo exhibition showcases the work of Berlin photographer Leonore Schwarzer and her ability to capture the life of East Berliners in multifaceted images.